Someone who is a citizen of a particular country is legally accepted as belonging to that country.
...American citizens.
The life of ordinary citizens began to change.
2. countable noun
The citizensof a town or city are the people who live there.
...the citizens of Buenos Aires. [+ of]
3. See also senior citizen
4. adjective
You describe someone as a citizen journalist or a citizen scientist, for example, when they are an ordinary person with no special training who does something that is usually done by professionals.
Several reports are coming from citizen journalists in the area.
More Synonyms of citizen
citizen in British English
(ˈsɪtɪzən)
noun
1.
a native registered or naturalized member of a state, nation, or other political community
Compare alien
2.
an inhabitant of a city or town
3.
a native or inhabitant of any place
4.
a civilian, as opposed to a soldier, public official, etc
▶ Related adjective: civil
Derived forms
citizeness (ˈsɪtɪzənɪs, -ˌnɛs)
feminine noun
citizenly (ˈcitizenly)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Anglo-French citesein, from Old French citeien, from cité,city
citizen in American English
(ˈsɪtəzən; ˈsɪtəsən)
noun
1. Obsolete
a native or inhabitant, esp. a freeman or burgess, of a town or city
2.
a native, inhabitant, or denizen of any place
citizens of the deep
3.
a member of a state or nation, esp. one with a republican form of government, who owes allegiance to it by birth or naturalization and is entitled to full civil rights
4.
a civilian, as distinguished from a person in military service, a policeman, etc.
SYNONYMY NOTE: citizen refers to a member of a state or nation, esp. one with a republican government, whoowes it allegiance and is entitled to full civil rights either by birth or naturalization;, subject is the term used when the government is headed by a monarch or other sovereign; , national is applied to a person residing away from the country of which he or she is, or oncewas, a citizen or subject, and is especially used of one another by fellow countrymenliving abroad; , UNRESOLVED CROSS REF refers to one who was born in the country under question, and is applied specificallyto an original or indigenous inhabitant of the region
OPPOSITE: alien
Word origin
ME & Anglo-Fr citizein, altered (? infl. by denizen) < OFr citeain < cité: see city; sense citizen (sense 3) infl. by use of Fr citoyen during the Fr Revolution
COBUILD Collocations
citizen
law-abiding citizen
model citizen
responsible citizen
Examples of 'citizen' in a sentence
citizen
The country regularly lashes citizens for minor crimes.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
British citizens are bottom of the pile.
The Sun (2016)
British citizens could not be deported.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
At present only those who become British citizens do so.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It treats people as second-class citizens.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
As American citizens they are eligible to vote but they have been overlooked by campaigns because they have tended not to turn out.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Under the law then in force he became a citizen of Jamaica but not a British citizen.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The idea that we would compromise our own position and limit the movement of EU citizens within the country is not grounded in any reality.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You are a peaceful citizen all your life and then this happens.
The Sun (2008)
But the responsibility for defending this country lies with the citizens of this country.
The Sun (2012)
Pupils were encouraged to dress as senior citizens or people of the opposite gender.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
And we are also citizens of our country.
The Sun (2014)
Politicians and business leaders need to be having a conversation with people as citizens of this country.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In some areas mature citizens account for the majority of Asbos.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We have recent passports and are both British citizens.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
They claim that they want to avoid disruption for the city 's citizens.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
At least one Pakistani citizen lost his life in the course of this operation.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This has got to be a matter of concern to all British citizens.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In no way will the constitutional rights or civil liberties of any American citizen be infringed.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
First, citizens in all areas of the country need to have a more central role in preparing for emergencies.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Much like the citizen soldiers of the world wars, they are asked to serve a higher cause and defend the place they love.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Millions of their citizens live in Britain and Europe.
The Sun (2014)
The regime didn't allow media organisations to enter; the situation forced us to become citizen journalists.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A further potential measure flagged up in the review is the idea of reserving more jobs purely for national citizens, for example in the civil service.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
A new generation of citizen journalists has emerged across the Arab world, exchanging information between countries in real time.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Last month, I had the honor of welcoming a group of our service members as citizens for the very first time.
Christianity Today (2000)
In other languages
citizen
British English: citizen /ˈsɪtɪzn/ NOUN
If someone is a citizen of a country, they are legally accepted as belonging to that country.
...Japanese citizens.
American English: citizen
Arabic: مُواطِن
Brazilian Portuguese: cidadão
Chinese: 市民
Croatian: državljanin
Czech: občan
Danish: borger
Dutch: burger
European Spanish: ciudadano
Finnish: kansalainen
French: citoyen
German: Bürger
Greek: πολίτης
Italian: cittadino
Japanese: 市民
Korean: 시민
Norwegian: statsborger
Polish: obywatel
European Portuguese: cidadão
Romanian: cetățean
Russian: гражданин
Latin American Spanish: ciudadano
Swedish: medborgare
Thai: พลเมือง
Turkish: vatandaş
Ukrainian: громадянин
Vietnamese: công dân
British English: citizen NOUN
The citizens of a town or city are the people who live there.
...the citizens of that city.
American English: citizen
Brazilian Portuguese: cidadão
Chinese: 公民
European Spanish: ciudadano
French: citoyen
German: Bürger
Italian: abitante
Japanese: 国民
Korean: 시민
European Portuguese: cidadão
Latin American Spanish: ciudadano
All related terms of 'citizen'
model citizen
Someone who is a citizen of a particular country is legally accepted as belonging to that country.
fellow citizen
a fellow citizen is a citizen of the same state as the person speaking, writing, or being referred to
senior citizen
A senior citizen is an older person who has retired or receives an old age pension .
citizen journalism
the involvement of non-professionals in reporting news , esp in blogs and other websites
citizen's arrest
an arrest carried out by an ordinary member of the public rather than an officer of the law
Citizen's Charter
(formerly, in Britain) a government document setting out standards of service for public and private sector bodies, such as schools, hospitals , railway companies, water and energy suppliers, etc
responsible citizen
Someone who is a citizen of a particular country is legally accepted as belonging to that country.
law-abiding citizen
Someone who is a citizen of a particular country is legally accepted as belonging to that country.
second-class citizen
a person whose rights and opportunities are treated as less important than those of other people in the same society
Citizens' Band
Citizens ' Band is a range of radio frequencies which the general public is allowed to use to send messages to each other and is used especially by truck drivers in their vehicles . The abbreviation → CB is often used.
Chinese translation of 'citizen'
citizen
(ˈsɪtɪzn)
n(c)
[of country]公民 (gōngmín) (个(個), gè)
[of town, area]居民 (jūmín) (个(個), gè)
(noun)
Definition
an inhabitant of a city or town
The citizens of Greece flocked to the games.
Synonyms
inhabitant
the inhabitants of Glasgow
resident
Ten per cent of residents live below the poverty line.
burgess
dweller
The number of city dwellers is growing.
ratepayer
denizen
the denizens of New York
subject
Roughly half of them are British subjects.
freeman or woman
burgher
townsman or woman or person
related words
related adjectivecivil
Additional synonyms
in the sense of denizen
Definition
a person, animal, or plant that lives or grows in a particular place
the denizens of New York
Synonyms
inhabitant,
resident,
citizen,
occupant,
dweller
in the sense of dweller
The number of city dwellers is growing.
Synonyms
inhabitant,
resident,
citizen,
denizen,
indweller
in the sense of resident
Definition
a person who lives in a place
Ten per cent of residents live below the poverty line.